Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-06-25
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON
Preached to Soldiers From Thirty.
Cne States at the National
Drill Encampment in
Washington.

HtSot OuuEtS AA.s ~.
Companies of infantry, cavalry, artillery
and zouaves, please notice the first Scripture
passage applauds the soldiers of zebulun,
because they were disciplined troops. They
may have been Inefficient at the start and
laughed at by old soldiers because they
seemed so clumsy in the line, but it was drill,
drill, drill, until they could keep step as one
man. FIFTY thousand which could keep
rank The second Scripture passage an.
plauds regiment of singers, in the tribe of
Benjamin, because they are dextrous marks
men. When they first enlisted they may have
been an awkward squad and all their fingers
were thumbs, but they practiced until when
they aimed at mark they always hit it.
Every one could Sing stones at a hair
breadth and not miss y Both texts combin-
ing TO show us that if we must fight we
should do il we'll
There is something absorbing in the mill
tary science Of the Bible. In olden times all
the men between twenty and fifty years Of
age were enrolled in the army and then levy
was made for special service. There were
only three or four classes exempt those who
had built a house and had not occupied it;
those who had planted garden and had not
reaped the fruit of it; those who were en-
gagged to be married and had not led the bride
TO the altar; those who were yet in the first
year of welded life; these who were so ner-
vous that they could not look upon an enemy
but they fed, and could not look upon blood
but they tainted
The army was in three divisions-the cen
ire and right and left wings. The weapons of
defence were helmet, shield, breastplate,
buckler. The weapons of offence were sword,
spear, iavelin, arrow, catapult-which was
merely bow swung by machinery, shooting
arrows at vast distances, great arrows, one
arrow as large as several men could lift; and
ballista, which was a sling swung by ma
ebinery, hurting great rocks and large pieces
Of lead to vast distances. The shields
we're we're t made , Of woven wiIloT-wors
loop inside through which the
arm of the warrior might be thrust: and
when these soldiers were marching to attack
an enemy on the level, all these shields
touched each other, making a wall, moving
but impenetrable, and then when thew
attacked fortress and tried to capture
battlement this shield was lifted over the
head SO as to resist the falling of the missiles;
The phosphate, was made of two pieces OK
leather, brass covered, one piece falling over
the breast, the other falling over the back.
At the side of the warrior the two pieces
fastened with buttons orclasps.
The bows were so stout and stiff and strong
that the warriors often challenged each
other to bend one. The strings of the bow
were marie from the sinews of oxen. A casa
like an inverted pyramid was fastened 10 the
back, that case containing the arrows. so
that when the warrior wanted to USE an
arrow he would put his arm over his
shoulder and pull forth the arrow for the
fight. The ankle of the foot had on an iron
boot. When wall was to be assaulted a
batterlng ram was brought up. batterng
ram was great beam swung on chains in
equilibrium The battering ram would be
brought close up to the wall and then a great
number of men would take hold Of this beam.
push it hack as far as they could and then
Lat tho
pendulum of destruction
Twenty or forty men would stand in a
movable tower on the back of an elephant
the elephant made drunk with wine and
then headed toward the enemy. and what
with he heavy feet and the swinging probo-
scis ana tne poisoned arrows shot from the
movable tower, the destruction was appalling
War chariots were in vogue and thew were
on two wheels 50 they could easily turn. A
sword was fastened to the pole between the
horses so when they went ahead the sword
thrust and when they turned around it would
NOV down. The armies carried flags beauti-
fully embroidered Tribe of Judah carried a
flag embroidered with lion; tribe of Reuhen
embroidered with man; tribe of Dan, en-
oroldered with cherubiln The noise of the host
as they moved on, was overwhelming. What
with the clatter of shields, and the
rumbllng Of wheels, and the shouts of
the captains, and the vociferation Of the en-
SAC hOotf LILO DIOlUtt saws III WAS ike f1a
roaring or the sea. Because the arts of war
nave been advancing all these years, YOU are
not TO conclude that these armies of olden
times were an uncomfortable mob / conId
quote yon four or five passages of Scripture,
showing you that they were thoroughly
drilled; they marched step to step, shoulder
70 shoulder, or, as my text expresses IL thev
were FIFTY thousand which could keen
rank, and Every one could sling stones q
hairs breath and not missn
congratulate you, the officers and SOL
dlers OF this national encampment: that If n
foreign attack should at any time be made
You would be ready, and there would be
millions Of the drilled men of North and
south like the men of my first text (which
could keep rank" and like the men of INV
second text, that would not miss a hairs
breedth nan
At this national drill when tbirty-one
states OF the Union are represented. and he
tween the decoration Of the graves of the
o0"shern dead, which took place a few DAYS
ago, and the decorations of the graves of
the Northern dead, which shall take
place Tomorrow, / would stir the Christian
patriotism and gratitude not only of this
snldiery here present but Of all the people by
putting before them the difference between
these times when the soldiers Of all sections
meet in peace and the times when they met
IN contest. Contrast the feeling OF sec
hphdl DitDtfned< III lSbS with the feeling of
sectional amity in 1887. At the first date
the South had banishcd the national air, the
star Spangled Banner, and the North had
banished the popular air Of "Way Down
South in Dixie.p The Northern people were
'mndsillsn and the Southern people were
white trash" The more Southern people
were killed in battle the better the North
liked it. The more Northern people were
KILLED in battle the better the South like
u, For four years the head of Abraham
Lincoln or Jefferson Davis would have been
worth million dollars If delivered on either
side of the line. No need now, stand
ing in our pulpits and platforms of saving
that the North and South did rot hate each
other. To estimate how very dearly they
loved each Other, count up the bombsbells that
were hurled and the caTbines that were
loaded and the cavalry horses that were
mounted. North and South facing each other
all around in the attempt TO kill The two
sections not only rnarshaled all their earthly
hostilities, but tried TO reach up and get hold
Of the sword Of heaven, and the prayer Of
the Northern and Southern pupits gave
more information to the heavens
about the best mode Of settling this tro,lle
than was ever used. For four wears both
Sides tried TO get hold Of the Lords thunder
bolts, but could not quite reach them. At
the breaking out Of the war we had not for
months heard OF my dear uncle, Samuel j
Talmage, President OF the OgletboI-pe Uni
vereifV in ffeOrOia He xyao nl,ot,f th. .,,....,5